NYCB Moves Tour Dates? Fall 2011

The Culture Blog at the LA Times reports that Martin's new venture, NYCB Moves, will be in Northridge, CA in October 2011.

The newly formed touring group of the New York City Ballet will make a stop at the Valley Performing Arts Center this fall. The group, called New York City Ballet Moves, is scheduled to perform in Northridge on Oct. 22.

In January, the New York City Ballet announced the launch of the group, which will consist of a small set of artists from the full company that will perform at smaller venues, such as university auditoriums. The company said it may send multiple groups on the road at the same time.

Shortly after the announcement of the new traveling group, the union representing New York City Ballet dancers filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, stating that they had not been consulted about the creation of the new group.

The dispute was resolved earlier this month as part of the company's larger contract negotiations with its dancers.

New York City Ballet Moves is scheduled to give its first performances on July 31 and Aug. 1 as part of the Vail International Dance Festival in Colorado. The ballets programmed by the group will come mostly from the company's existing repertory.

The Valley Performing Arts Center features 1,700 seats in its main hall, and is the largest space of its kind in the San Fernando Valley. The center, located on the campus of Cal State Northridge, officially opened in January.

Hopefully since it's only one night they will have engagements at other SoCal venues (thinking similar venues like the Karen Carpenter Center in Long Beach or the Irvine Barclay, Cypress Performing Arts Center, UCLA Royce Hall??--though all already announced their 2011-12 seasons, but presumably before the contract negotiations were settled). Here's to hoping...has anyone seen any other dates through the country?

Wow! That's strange, as Princeton is well within the radius of subscribers. Kyra Nichols has always lived in Princeton, even when she was dancing. Maybe they are hoping to pick up new fans and ooax them to the State (er Koch) Theater?

Other than the Kennedy Center and Saratoga, I haven't noticed the full company touring North America in a long time. I do remember seeing the full company in Chicago at the Auditorium Theater in spring 1979 with Baryshnikov, but it's been a long time since the company visited Chicago. When did they stop this ambitious touring?

Other than the Kennedy Center and Saratoga, I haven't noticed the full company touring North America in a long time. I do remember seeing the full company in Chicago at the Auditorium Theater in spring 1979 with Baryshnikov, but it's been a long time since the company visited Chicago. When did they stop this ambitious touring?

They did visit California in approx 1986.

When the FULL company tours, they have to take the portable stage, the entire orchestra, at least one conductor, huge containers of costumes, etc.

When the FULL company tours, they have to take the portable stage, the entire orchestra, at least one conductor, huge containers of costumes, etc.

Not sure about the orchestra -- that might depend on the local musicians' union's arrangements with the theaters. At Kennedy Center, I thought they used a local pick-up orchestra, although with their own conductors. My aunt was a violist with the Quad-Cities Symphony in the midwest for several decades, and she played under arrangements like that with everything from Moody Blues to touring Broadway shows. The Musicians' union has historically been one of the strongest (toughest?) in the performing arts.

Still, touring is enormously expensive for a big company like that. I can sympathize with the NYCB project "Moves" so that people outside the east coast can see a little something of the company once in a while. And I'm grateful that the Balanchine Trust does stage so many ballets around the world with different companies.

They visited California a few years ago, approximately when Sofiane Sylve joined the company. It was pretty great as they did a run at OCPAC, and another at Chandler in LA. The full company is very expensive to tour, whereas the smaller company, while still expensive, is a bit more financially manageable. The smaller company is said to have 22 dancers.

When the FULL company tours, they have to take the portable stage, the entire orchestra, at least one conductor, huge containers of costumes, etc.

Not sure about the orchestra -- that might depend on the local musicians' union's arrangements with the theaters. At Kennedy Center, I thought they used a local pick-up orchestra, although with their own conductors. My aunt was a violist with the Quad-Cities Symphony in the midwest for several decades, and she played under arrangements like that with everything from Moody Blues to touring Broadway shows. The Musicians' union has historically been one of the strongest (toughest?) in the performing arts.

I believe the arrangement at the Kennedy Center is one year they use the Kennedy Center's house orch (National Symphony??) and then next they use the NYCB Orchestra, on a rotating basis--this was the agreement between the two musicians unions as a compromise.

The NYCB Orch is required to tour WITH the Ballet and play at all Ballet performances, which is what makes touring NYCB so difficult and why this special deal with the Kennedy Center was arranged since they have a longer contract to perform there.

I believe the arrangement at the Kennedy Center is one year they use the Kennedy Center's house orch (National Symphony??) and then next they use the NYCB Orchestra, on a rotating basis--this was the agreement between the two musicians unions as a compromise.

I was just poking around on the Kennedy Center site. There seems to be something called "The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra" that is distinct from the National Symphony. That would make sense, as programs in the Opera House surely must overlap many/most of the National Symphony concerts in the theater next door at the Center.http://www.kennedy-c...ideos/?id=M4681